SLS Off Season Review

As we get ready to kick off X Games Brazil I want to share this off season preview of the top contest skaters on the planet.

Taken from www.streetleague.com
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As we approach the first showdown of 2013, we take a look at how the SLS Top 20 put in work this off-season, analyzing how their latest footage will translate to the 2013 SLS Nike SB World Tour. —Leland Ware

Nyjah Huston

Nyjah is clearly the man to beat. He destroyed Street League last year, losing only one contest to Paul Rodriguez on his path the overall championship. Huston is one of those rare skaters that never seems to slow down or rest. If his off-season is any indication of what we can expect, other competitors have their work cut out for them.

In November, he dropped a Thrasher Last Call part that was nothing short of intense. If hardflip 5-0′s down San Francisco’s infamous Clipper Ledge and noseblunt slides down eighteen-stair rails are Nyjah’s internet throwaways, one can only imagine what his A-game is looking like. Huston’s ability to comfortably throw down on big ledges and rails could prove to be a serious advantage on this year’s Street League course.

As if topping off his street cred wasn’t enough, Nyjah has also been setting it off on the contest circuit so far in 2013, taking second at the Tampa Pro in March. Most impressive about Nyjah’s Tampa performance was his jaw-dropping Caballerial kickflip to late shove-it on a bump to flat, which won the Best Trick contest. It was clearly a shot across the bow and into the mental game of his competitors. The combination of uncanny technical ability, raw power, and cat-like finesse that goes into that sort of trick is a strong indication that Nyjah is once again going to up the ante in Street League this year. Smart money would not bet against another championship ring on his

Paul Rodriguez

Never, ever sleep on P-Rod. He was the only one that was able to upset Nyjah Huston in last year’s competition, and in 2013 Paul is already proving to be a fierce competitor with a respectable fourth place at Tampa Pro. Paul obviously has his game face on and is gearing up for a solid performance in Street League.

One word that always comes to mind when you think of P-Rod is consistency. Paul is the type of skater that has his tricks on lock and can do them on command at any given time. Nothing illustrates this point better than the project he took on at the beginning of the year, which was refilming his City Stars Street Cinema video part from 2001. Typically once a skater films a trick, they move on and focus on other tricks that they haven’t done. While they may not lose the trick completely, it probably doesn’t come as easilyy for them as when they were working on it for their part. The fact that Paul has his entire bag of tricks dialed in 10 years later says a lot. If he can translate that on-command ability onto the Street League course this year, he’s definitely going to be a contender for the top spot again.

Another indication of Rodriguez’s performance this year is his Bangin’ part that was released on The Berrics at the beginning of April. His style, power, and bag of tricks seem to be particularly on point leading into this year’s contest series and the new Berrics park is similar to what we’ve seen on the Street League courses in scope and scale. Perhaps this Bangin’ is a bit of foreshadowing on Paul’s part as to what he’s got up his sleeve for Street League this year. Only time will tell, but P-Rod’s game definitely seems to be fully intact right now, making him particularly dangerous.

Ryan Sheckler

What more can you say about Sheckler? The guy has been on fire for the past few years. He silenced all of his critics with his skating, and turned just about everyone into an overnight fan. One would have to be foolish not to think he’s a serious threat to all competition in Street League. He’s clearly been putting in work on the streets.

Ryan’s recent Plan B teaser clip illustrates that he is more than capable of taking home the championship ring in 2013. A 10-15 foot tall kickflip out of a driveway bump into one of San Francisco’s most brutal hills is never something to be taken lightly. In fact, it’s safe to say that’s something not many skateboarders would not ever think about trying at all—but Sheckler handled it with ease! It’s that type of raw power and grace under pressure that will make him a force to be reckoned with this year. We can’t help but anticipate the type of high-flying antics that we will see from Ryan.

Sheckler’s ender in the recent Red Bull Perspective video further supports the hypothesis that he is into going big. His backside flip over a picnic table propped up on it’s side out of a bank is unheard of. I don’t think many skaters could jump that high, or even ollie it—how Ryan managed to flip his board over that monster pretty much defies logic. Sheckler’s obviously floating higher than ever, and if he goes as big as he has been during the contest, he’s definitely walking away with even more more respect and prize money in 2013.

Sean Malto

The Street League Overall Champion of 2011, Sean Malto could very well wind up taking it all again. He’s been heavily influenced by one of the masters of skateboarding and Street League alumni Eric Koston, as evidenced in his Inspired By Koston Nike SB commercial. That influence definitely shows in Malto’s skating and with perfect nollie noseblunts down rails, you an see why there’s a good chance that Sean could pull off a repeat.

The influence from greatness is not the only reason to keep an eye on Malto. His patience and perseverance are two qualities that are sure to take him far in Street League. Looking back on a young Malto’s sponsorship quest, it’s clear that Sean had what it takes to succeed from an early age. What stands out even more is that he was sitting on that level of skill for over two years while getting offers from other big brands, but patiently waited until he got fully hooked up from the sponsor that he truly wanted. If he keeps it that cool under pressure on the Street League course this year, he should have no problem advancing to the finals.

The final thing working to Sean’s advantage this year is that he’s coming in hot on the heels of a new video part in Girl and Chocolate’s Pretty Sweet. After going all out in crunch time for the video, you have to assume that Malto is primed and ready to attack the Street League course. It should also be mentioned that Pretty Sweet won Transworld’s 2012 video of the year in February—more validation of Malto’s level of skill.